z^6 The TraBical Kitchen Gardiner. 



Of the The eruca, or rocket, fo called from 

 rcdet. -^-^e Greek, % w^ofA.(§-, was had in fo great 

 eftecm heretofore, as to its efficacy in 

 conjugal performances, that many of 

 the antient authors, both in poetry and 

 profe, make mention of it purely for 

 that purpofe 5 Tliny^ in his Natural Hif- 

 torjy lib, 19- cap. 8. tells us it was par- 

 ticularly noted for a difpeller of all cold 

 qualities, and being of a quite different 

 nature from lettuce, is a great promoter 

 of venery 5 for which reafon the antients 

 always eat it with lettuce, that the heat 

 of the one might temper the coldnefs 

 of the other : on which account alfo it 

 was that the eruca was accounted facred 

 to TriapuSj and planted for or by him, 

 according to the following lines of Co' 

 lumelUy 



* Et qu£ frugifero feritur vicina priapo, 

 Excitat ad venerem tardos eruca maritos. 



Agreeable alfo to that of Ovidy 



^ *f Nec minus erucas aptum efi v it are falaces 



Et quicquid veneri corpora nojtra par at. 



Eruca ivtpf^c<; quod jufculum commendat habeatque 

 in ito peculiarem gratiam. Cataf. Hort. Botan. Oxon. 59. 

 * Vid. Columella in hortOy lib. 20. cap. i o- 

 t Vid. Matt air ^2, Edition of Ovid'^ Remedia amrifj 

 261, 799, 800. 



And 



